Blockchain Research Institute Teams With NASSCOM To Collaborate On Various Blockchain Activities In India

Canada’s Blockchain Research Institute (BRI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with India’s National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) to co-invest blockchain activities in India.

The BRI, established in partnership with the government of Canada, is conducting the definitive study of the impact of blockchain technology on business, government and society. The BRI’s multi-million dollar research program features over 70 projects dedicated to exploring, understanding, documenting and informing leaders about blockchain strategies, market opportunities and implementation challenges.

NASSCOM is a trade association of Indian Information Technology (IT) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry. It is a global trade body with over 2000 members, of which over 250 are companies from China, EU, Japan, the US and the UK. It facilitates business and trade in software and services and encourages the advancement of research in software technology. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, NASSCOM is registered under the Indian Societies Act, 1860.

The partnership is part of India’s ongoing efforts to develop and nurture an ecosystem for disruptive technologies. NASSCOM recently announced a platform for skills development in eight varied technologies, including blockchain. The aim of the platform is to skill and up-skill about two million technology professionals and skill another two million potential employees and students over the next few years.

Under the agreement, the two entities will collaborate for various activities, including joint webinars, and knowledge sharing in terms of case studies by BRI for like-minded Indian organizations and government departments. They also plan to create a Center of Excellence (CoE) in India that will provide high-end technology capabilities, expertise, thought-leadership and curated programs to explore the adoption of blockchain across academia, enterprises, government, innovators and advanced startups.

NASSCOM Chairman Raman Roy said India and Canada share a great bond, both in terms of people, culture and business. Their partnership with BRI will foster greater collaboration between the two countries, focused on the creation of a world-class sustainable blockchain ecosystem in India.

“We believe blockchain is a transformative technology for businesses,” said Roy. “It is imperative that we identify and explain key application opportunities, issues, strategies and approaches that enable companies and governments to capitalize on this emerging technology.”

BRI Founder and Executive Chairman Don Tapscott said they see the coalition with NASSCOM as a delightful opportunity to nurture the blockchain community in India.

“We strongly believe that India has the potential to lead the blockchain revolution,” said Tapscott. “I want to thank Sanjay Tugnait, Chair of the Blockchain Research Institute Advisory Board who was instrumental in creating this collaboration between the two entities.”